Blazblue: Cognative Dissonance
by DrakeReversi
Summary: This is basically what i want the 4th game to look like...very roughly. I'm not that imaginative when it comes to these kinds of things.
1. Chapter 1: Wandering beast

Blazblue: Cognative Dissonance

**Chapter 1: The wandering beast.**

As the cold air rushed through the surrounding trees, a loud noise was formed from the rustling. Amidst the field of roses sat none other than Rachel Alucard, who was quietly drinking her tea and thinking deeply about the events to come:

"Where is that stupid man…what does he think he's doing." She sighed as she took another sip of tea. The rich cinnamon aroma and the rich apple flavor was one of Rachel's favorites. She could only think about the inevitable future that was to come:

"Ragna…" She whispered as she looked up at the full moon in the sky: "Oh Valkenhayn?" She called out.

"Yes Madam Rachel?" Valkenhayn appeared in front of Rachel, dressed in his usual attire and bowing slightly.

"I do believe I should pay Kokonoe a visit…I have some things I wish to discuss with her. Please take care of matters while I am away." Rachel said as she placed her tea cup onto the plate and stood up.

"Very well Madam Rachel, I wish you a safe journey and I await your return." Valkenhayn said as he bowed once more.

"The final chapters of this story are finally here…will it follow the predetermined ending or…no that is impossible." Rachel murmured to herself as she vanished into thin air…

* * *

I stared out of the window and wondered what to do now. Major Jin was still in the infirmary due to…Ragna and nobody had any plans on what to do next. I also had a large argument with Tsubaki regarding Ragna…she said she wanted to kill him since he's the root of all evil in this world…how could she say that? After everything he's done he is still seen as the villain in all of this. Where are you Ragna…where did you go?

"Ehem…Miss Noel Vermillion. Lord Kagura will see you now." Said Hibiki who entered the room.

"Huh, oh Hibiki. All right." I replied with a warm smile.

"Is something bothering you Miss Vermillion?" Hibiki asked concerned.

"Huh, oh no it's nothing important." I replied.

"Very well, this way Miss Vermillion." Hibiki gestured for me to follow him.

I followed Hibiki through the various corridors leading the way towards Kagura's room. Ever since that incident he has been working with Kokonoe on a way to find Ragna. Though I wondered why he would need me for it. Before I could ponder the question any further I found myself standing in front of the door towards Kagura's office:

"Lord Kagura, Noel Vermillion is here." Hibiki said as he opened the door. The small office was decorated with various NOL artifacts and colors, the carpet on the floor was a mix of dark red and white and Kagura was sitting behind the table with a glass in his hand…with a liquid which I guessed was alcohol.

"Hey Noel babe, just the woman I needed to see." Kagura said as he stood up from his chair and placed the glass down on the table.

"Hello mister Kagura, you wanted to see me?" I asked.

"Hmm…yeah. I heard you and Tsubaki had a fight?" Kagura asked as he crossed his arms and leaned against his desk.

"Oh well umm…it's nothing serious really we just had contrasting views regarding…" I couldn't finish the sentence as I remembered the argument and the various strings of insults that were thrown about that day.

"Ragna the Bloodedge…" Kagura sighed: "To be honest Noel, I don't think that many of us have any other choice." Kagura said with a concerned face.

"W-what do you mean?" I asked worried.

"I mean his being is literally being eroded by the Azure Grimoire. There isn't much any of us can do. And I suspect you know what will happen if he dies on his own right?" Kagura asked me a question to which I didn't want to know the answer to.

"…The black beast will be born again…" I instantly wondered as to what Ragna was doing right now…

"But just because there isn't much we can do does not mean there isn't anything we can do. After the fight with Azrael he became a man that I could respect, and hell I'm not going to let him die without letting him complete his promise to Celica." Kagura said with his usual smile.

"But Tsubaki…"

"I'll talk to Tsubaki. I honestly believe that many of the people here wouldn't want to see Ragna die. Despite his criminal status he's made a lot of valuable allies, me included." Kagura said as he walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I admire your tenacity Kagura "The black knight" Mutsuki." Rachel Alucard said as she appeared behind Kagura.

"Miss Rachel…to what do I owe the pleasure?" Kagura asked as he turned around.

"Ragna is without hope right now. Noel do you remember the story I told you before?" Rachel turned to me.

"Y-yes Miss Rachel." I recalled the time when Rachel told us about the story of the girl and her book.

"If you remember then you should understand that the ending is predetermined, there is no way to change fate." Rachel said with a hint of sadness.

"Ahem, sorry Miss Rachel but I'd be willing to disagree with that." Kagura said as he looked at me.

"Me too. I don't care if we're characters in some story written by that girl, if she can't change the ending, then we will do it ourselves." I said with determination.

"Oh?" Rachel was surprised at this answer: "Tell me Noel, who is Ragna to you?" She asked.

"W-what?! Umm well I uhh well…" I was getting flustered as to how to answer this question.

"Hey what kind of question is that?" Kagura exclaimed as he lowered both of his hands.

"Let Noel answer the question Kagura." Rachel said calmly: "Well Noel have you come up with an answer?"

"…Ragna…he's…an important person. He sacrificed his left hand to save me and has acted like an older brother that I never had…He's someone who has saved me many times. So now it's my turn to save him." I answered with renewed determination.

"Hmm…well this will be interesting. I truly do hope that you will stick with that determination Noel Vermillion. Ragna does not have much time left as it is…" Rachel said as she turned around and began to head towards the other end of the room.

"Yes I will!" I exclaimed as Rachel teleported away.

"Hmm…Well Noel babe, I've got one more thing for you." Kagura said as he came closer to me.

"One more thing?" I asked with a bit of worry.

"Yeah well you see I've got this bottle of champagne that I'd like to drink in the compa-" Kagura didn't get to finish his sentence because at the exact moment…:

"GREAT MAKOTO PUNNNCCHHH" Makoto burst through the door and hit Kagura straight in the face which sent him flying across the room.

"M-Makoto!" I shouted at her sudden appearance.

"Get your dirty hands off of her you damn pervert!" Makoto shouted at Kagura who was hunched up against the wall.

"Owww…that hurts Makoto." Kagura groaned.

"Hmph. Are you ok Noel, did he touch you anywhere strange?" Makoto began to dust off my clothing.

"Uhh yes." I answered with uncertainty. I've seen this episode happen multiple times before.

"How many times have I told you to avoid this damn pervert, he only wants one thing from you Noel." Makoto scolded me while Kagura got up. The wall which Kagura flew against had a giant dent left in it. Made me wonder how hard Makoto hit him and how strong Kagura was to simply brush it off.

"Makoto…I know you're jealous but I promise I'll take you out to dinner later. I just want to spend some quality time with Noel here." Kagura made a weak smile.

At this point I felt that Makoto was gripping my shoulder roughly: "H-Hey Makoto, you're hurting me…Makoto?" Makoto was beginning to shake slightly.

"…" Makoto started to breathe heavily.

"Makoto are you ok?" I asked worried.

"Uh-oh…" Kagura started to back away from Makoto as if she was about to explode.

"…Kagura…" Makoto said through clenched teeth.

"Y-yes Makoto?" Kagura asked with a hint of fear.

"HOW MANY TIME DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Makoto turned around and jumped onto Kagura, beginning to punch him in the face repetedly.

"This will take a while to clean up." Hibiki sighed.

"Umm…shouldn't we help him?" I asked with more worry this time.

"He'll be fine. We should leave for now though." Hibiki said as he turned around to leave the room. But before he could he bumped into Tsubaki and stumbled backwards.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lady Tsubaki I did not perceive your presence there." Hibiki apologized while bowing.

"It's quite all right Hibiki. Kagura you said you wanted to see me?" Tsubaki looked over at Kagura who was knocked halfway into the floor.

"Huh, Tsubaki? I doubt this idiot is going to be seeing anyone soon." Makoto said with a guilty smile.

"H-hey Tsubaki, what's up?" Kagura asked with a loud groan.

"You wanted to see me Kagura." Tsubaki said in her usual formal tone.

"Oh yeah. It's about Ragna the Bloodedge and the whole killing him deal." Kagura said as he got up, again without any visible signs of him being hurt.

"What about it?" It was clear that Tsubaki was interested in this topic.

"We're not going to kill him. Simple as that." Kagura stated the obvious to Tsubaki.

"What! But he's the one who hurt Noel and Jin, he is the evil in this world personified." Tsubaki said with a shocked face.

"That may be but he along with Jinny, Celica and Noel here saved our asses from a catastrophe. You might see him as the evil personified but if I'm honest I'd say that the previous imperator is a larger evil, and we need Ragna to take her down once and for all." Kagura explained calmly.

"This…" Tsubaki was about to say something but decided against it.

"Tsubaki, we know you hate Ragna but please, understand that at the moment there is a larger issue looming over us all." Kagura said with a smile.

"Hmph…very well. But if I see Ragna the Bloodedge I will not hesitate to fight him." Tsubaki said as she turned around to leave the room.

"That girl is as stubborn as Jin…" Kagura sighed as Tsubaki left the room.

"She's just like she was before." I said as I remembered our academy days.

"Anyway, Noel, if Kokonoe finds any traces of where Ragna is I'll send to go after him. I think it'd be best if you were the one to meet him first." Kagura said as he walked over to his table and picked up the glass once again.

"A-all right. I'll be on my way now mister Kagura." I said remembering that I had to go to meet professor Kokonoe to discuss my power.

"All right see you around Noel. And don't forget my office is always open for beautiful ladies 24/7." Kagura said with a cocky smile which earned him another punch from Makoto.

As I left the room I looked out into the long corridor and remembered my discussion with Ragna about real objects and fake ones and how it does not matter if a fake is a fake. As long as it's real to someone it isn't a fake:

"I promise I'll save you Ragna." I whispered as I looked out into the brightly lit, blue corridor…

* * *

"Kokonoe, what is your plan on finding Ragna the Bloodedge?" Tager asked with his typical tone.

"Hmm, well since all the sethir is practically gone it's going to be rather easy to single out his Azure Grimoire." Kokonoe said as she took a sip of her coffee.

"His Azure Grimoire still works?" Tager asked with interest.

"Kagura already explained this to me. Apparently only certain people chosen by the True Blazblue are able to still use their powers." Kokonoe said as she became lost in thought.

"Kokonoe?" Tager asked with mild concern.

"What is it Tager?" Kokonoe replied with a bit of annoyance.

"What exactly should I do once I find Ragna the Bloodedge?" Tager was sent out to look for Ragna as soon as possible, he didn't have any time to be filled in on the details so he decided to ask Kokonoe along the way.

"Avoid fighting him for starters, if his Azure Grimoire goes berserk it'd be bad for all of us. Try to subdue him without force if possible. If push comes to shove i've implemented a number of tranquilizer darts into your body. One of those darts is enough to even subdue that goddamn father of mine." Kokonoe explained calmly: "Hmm Tager, there's a signal around 10km west of your current position…in a forest in between the 6th and 7th hierarchical cities. I'm assuming that that's Ragna. Head there and check it out. Report as soon as you get there." Kokonoe ordered Tager.

"I'm on my way." Tager said as he closed his intercom and began to fly in the direction of the signal…

* * *

I kneeled down to drink some water from the river. Now that I was far away from the city I had to make do with the various resources of nature. The sun shone through the various trees scattered around me, most of them lacking any distinct branches to break the sunlight in a noticeable way. I got up and continued onwards to my destination: "The first integration city of Ōkoto". I needed answers and where else will I find them apart from the NOl headquarters. The Azure Grimoire, the imperator and most importantly…that which resides within me: "The black beast". Though my name is infamous throughout the entire world…marching into the NOL headquarters is a suicide mission…even for me. I had decided that I'd think about this issue on the way there. It was at least a week's journey from here even by skycar so I have plenty of time to think. I was on my way to the 7th hierarchical city of Kazamotsu where I would be able to get a direct link to the 1st hierarchical city. It would be a long journey with many stops…especially since I'd have to hide in the cargo hold to avoid having any useless wannabes try and arrest me. Less trouble for me would be the best option. As I walked along the path I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my right arm, nothing new. I've been having these repeated pains regularly now…which wasn't a good thing. I can only keep this thing in control for so long before it'll finally break free:

"Ragna the bloodedge…" A calm voice said behind me.

"Shit…" I turned around still clenching my right arm. The person who was standing before me was none other than Bullet, the mercenary who was in search of Kokonoe and answers herself: "Hey Bullet, you know it's a rather bad time right now." I said in a strained voice.

"What's with you? Hey are you ok?" She asked as I began to lose consciousness and fell over. The last thing I saw was her rushing towards me saying something…  
When I woke up it was already night: "Shit…I lost a whole day." I mumbled to myself. I looked around and saw a small campfire, and then I noticed that I had a cold towel on my forehead: "What the?" I got up and looked around:

"So you're finally awake I see." Said Bullet who came with more firewood.

"Why did you decide to help me?" I asked with interest.

"Well…you did help me during that fight with Azrael. The least I could do was return the favor. Seems that each time I meet you, you always end up in pain one way or another." She explained while placing the firewood in a neat pile.

"Thanks…I guess." I said as kindly as possible.

"So what's the deal this time? Last time you were bleeding to hell and this time you collapsed without warning. You sick or something?" She asked with a twinge of concern.

"…It's my arm…and eye." I said as I look at it with a saddened expression.

"Your arm? You mean the Azure Grimoire?" She asked while pointing at it.

"Yeah. The damn thing's been a pain in my ass recently." I answered while clenching and unclenching my right arm.

"So why are you not with that guy Kagura, or Kokonoe or whatever?" She asked as she sat down on the ground.

"…That's something that has to do with this arm." I replied as I remembered what happened before.

"Where are you headed for now?"

"Why do you care?" I asked with mild annoyance.

"Well if you collapse each day on your way there you're never going to reach your destination in time." She said calmly.

"…Tch. Fair point." I had to agree with her that in my current state getting to the 1st hierarchical city would be a very tough task.

"And since you are strongly connected to Kokonoe…I'm guessing that wherever you are she's nearby."

"And what of it?" I glared at her.

"I need answers. And since you're my best bet at getting them, I'm gonna stick with you for a while." She said as she threw some wood into the fire.

"W-what?! Hell no!" I exclaimed as I stood up.

"Listen to me. I need you to find Kokonoe and you need someone to make sure you don't collapse in the center of a largely populated area and get picked up by the folks at the NOL. So we can both help each other out, don't you think?" She explained in her usual cool tone.

"…I hate it when others are right…" I mumbled under my breath.

"So now tell me. Where are you going?" She walked over to me and looked me right in the eyes.

"…the 1st integration city of Ōkoto." I said quietly.

"WHAT! ARE YOU MAD?!" Bullet exclaimed: "You, Ragna the Bloodedge, SS class criminal with a bounty well in the trillion, also known as "the grim reaper", want to head into the NOL headquarters. Did that right arm of yours mess your brain up as well?!" Bullet shouted at me while I looked away knowing that this was the reaction I would get. Still couldn't blame her, she was speaking the truth.

"I need answers regarding this arm of mine and where else can I get them other than the center of the organization which houses practically all the information in the world?" I asked her in turn.

"Tch…you're mental that's for certain. But oh well…I guess it's befitting of someone with your reputation." She said as she sat back down on the ground.

"Thanks…" I said sarcastically: "Either way, I'm gonna hit the sack cause i'm planning on getting up early tomorrow. And one more thing Bullet."

"What is it?"

"At the first sign of trouble with me…run away." I said as I fell back down onto my patch of grass and fell asleep…

* * *

_A.N. I decided to start a new series because...well because i felt like it. I have another series in the works as well but for now enjoy the ones i have atm.  
_


	2. Chapter 2: Miscalculated Meetings

Blazblue: Cognative Dissonance

**Chapter 2: Miscalculated meetings.**

The sun shone brightly in the clear sky making it really warm down here on the ground. It was becoming so stuffy in my coat that I had to take it off and wrap it around my waist. I looked behind me and noticed that Bullet wasn't having any of my troubles…considering her attire. I still didn't get how she wouldn't be embarrassed walking around showing that much skin. Looking around I saw that despite the entire "disappearance of sethir" issue there wasn't much change in the environment. Although I would have preferred to walk in silence something urged me to talk to Bullet:

"Hey Bullet?" I decided to break the merry silence.

"What is it?" She looked at me with a quizzical face.

"Despite lurking about in Ikaruga for so long you still weren't able to find Kokonoe?" I was asking questions that came to my mind without thinking.

"…I did find her…but…" Bullet had a spaced out look in her eyes.

"but…?"

"We ran into Relius Clover and before anything could be done and we got separated as she said that "she had to return to her lab as soon as possible."" Bullet mimicked Kokonoes typical tone which made me chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Bullet took my light amusement as an attempt at being hostile.

"Hey hey. Calm down, I just thought that you imitated Kokonoe pretty well." I raised my hands up in defense.

"Hmph." Bullet lowered her fists and kept on walking.

"By the way you said "we". Who did you mean?" I asked wondering about who Bullet was travelling with.

"That ninja, Bang Shishigami. He was…a decent companion. Though we parted ways right after that incident with Relius." Bullet explained not breaking her stride. The village was in sight by now.

"That damn loud geezer? Well I don't see how he could be a decent companion…" I scratched my head and kept walking.

"Anyway. What about you, you've changed a lot since the last time I met you and considering the stories I've heard I was expecting you to be more like the Mad Dog Azrael…personality wise that is." Bullet asked.

"…let's just say i've been re-evaluating my life these past few weeks." I replied as I remembered everything that happened.

"Hmm, well that does not change the fact that you're a wanted criminal, no matter how much you change on the inside." Bullet pointed out.

"That's true, and it's a real pain in the ass." I sighed.

"But nonetheless…you don't seem to be a person who would own the title of "Grim Reaper"." Bullet tried her hand at being nice.

"Hmph, that's a title I got for my past deeds. And to be honest, I deserve it. Not that I care." I replied.

"So what sort of answers are you looking for?" Bullet tried to change the subject.

"As I already said, it's regarding this goddamn arm of mine. I used to think of this as an amazing power…but now I see that it's truly a terrifying evil, one that a person shouldn't own." I answered as I looked at my hand and clenched it.

"You managed to shut off all the sethir flow in the world didn't you?" Bullet questioned me further.

"Yeah…though some people still retain the ability to use their armagus. Hell knows how all the cities function now."

"Hmm…we'll see once we get there. One more question."

"What is it?" I was starting to get annoyed.

"What will you do if you find that the answer is worse than you expected?"

"Huh?"

"If you find out that that arm of yours is impossible to get rid of or something…or that you have to die or something like that, what will you do?"

I recalled that story Rachel told us about…death huh…what a joke: "I…I don't know." I answered honestly.

"Huh? You mean you haven't thought about it?" She looked at me as if I was an idiot.

"No I-" I was cut off by the view of a giant person standing in front of us. The reddish skin hue, the huge bulking muscles, the red and white vest that that thing wore…it was none other than the "Red Devil Tager".

"Ragna the Bloodedge. I have orders from Kokonoe to bring you back to base."Tager said in his usual deep and no-nonsense tone.

"Sorry "Red Devil", I'm not interested in becoming an experiment like you." I answered in a cold tone.

"If possible I'd like to avoid conflict so just come peacefully and I won't be forced to hurt you."

"I would also like to avoid a fight if possible so If you'd just let me pass I won't be forced to disassemble you into nuts and bolts "Red Devil"." I took out my sword, the blood scythe, and got ready for a battle.

"Hmph…seems like you will be a tough target." Tager readied himself for a battle.

"Bullet, get out of here. Go towards the city and I'll meet you there." I said to her quietly so that Tager couldn't listen in.

"Hell no! I'm going to get some answers from Kokonoe's lap dog." Bullet also readied herself for a fight.

"Just listen to me you freaking idiot, you'll get your damn answers from that mad scientist herself, just wait a little longer." I pleaded with her.

"…tch. Fine. But if I don't get my answers soon, I'm turning on you and handing you over to the NOL." Bullet said as she stood up straight and turned around.

"Just go!" I shouted as I turned around to face Tager.

"I have no orders to chase that mercenary…but I'll have to report this information to Kokonoe." Tager mumbled to himself.

"Hey "Red Devil", let's rock." I said as I dashed towards him.

Being the giant brick wall that he is Tager simply took that attack and retaliated with impressive force. Had Ragna not dodged the swing he was certain he'd need to have extensive surgery to fix the damage. Ragna jumped up in the air and swung his blade at Tager, easily connecting but to no avail: "Still as hard a rock huh?"Ragna said as he increased the distance between them. Tager used a short burst of fuel to quickly close the distance and deliver a powerful kick to Ragna, who blocked it with his sword. The impact made Ragna slide back a few centimeters. Ragna took this chance to kick Tager in the stomach, and followed it up with an upwards slash which caused the giant Tager to fly upwards into that air slightly. Ragna then delivered a very powerful punch into Tager's face which made Tager smack into the ground, making a small crater. But Tager quickly got up as if nothing happened:

"Still in one piece huh?" I panted…"_This isn't good. I'd have to use a lot of energy I don't have to get this guy out of my way." _I thought to myself.

Tager slowly walked up to Ragna and sent out a right hook which Ragna easily blocked. Tager then followed it up with a left jab which Ragna ducked under but the kick which Tager used hit Ragna in the chest made him fly up in the air slightly. Tager proceeded to finish the attack with a left swing which made Ragna fly through a multitude of trees, breaking them and toppling them entirely:

"Give it up Ragna the bloodedge, I don't want to fight a battle with a weakened man." Tager said as he corrected his glasses.

"Heh…" I coughed up a little blood: "Who the hell are you calling a weakened man "Red Devil". Dead Spike!" I sent out a wave of energy along the ground in the shape of one of the heads of the black beast.

The attack hit Tager dead on and sent him flying backwards as well. I decided to use this chance to run away, towards the city. When Tager recovered he noticed that Ragna was no longer there:

"Kokonoe, do you read me?" Tager opened up his intercom.

"What is it?" Kokonoe asked in her non-caring way.

"Ragna the Bloodedge has escaped. He is headed towards the city. What are your orders?" Tager asked.

"Towards the city huh…Follow him, we'll capture him from two ends." Kokonoe said as she held her chin between her finger and thumb.

"All right." Tager understood the order and opened up his armagus scanner. He saw two dots in the nearby vicinity, which confused him slightly. He decided to follow the one which was closer by since that was most likely Ragna.

Meanwhile in the vicinity a large yet rather thin man, wearing a white vest and grey coat along with slim jeans was spectating the match from behind a tree. He brushed one of his hairs aside and said to himself:

"Ragna the Bloodedge and the Red Devil Tager huh…I see. This will certainly be much more interesting." He laughed lightly as he started to head towards the city as well…

* * *

Me and Makoto were wandering around town, the 6th hierarchical city of Yabiko, and were looking for a nice place to get something to eat:

"Hey Noel, what do you think about eating here. Just look at all those buns, and those cakes, and those cupcakes, and…" Makoto went on and on listing all the various forms of food within the café as her eyes glistened from want.

"Uhh…ok Makoto." I answered as if I had much of choice.

Both of the girls sat down and Noel let out a rather deep sigh:

"What's wrong Noel?" Makoto asked concerned.

"Huh? It's nothing…" I replied as I looked at nothing in particular.

"Noel, I've known you long enough to understand when you're troubled by something. And judging by the way you've been acting all day I can guess that you are VERY troubled by something." Makoto accented the "very" part.

"I'm just thinking about the things I said to Miss Rachel. I said I would save him but…I don't know how." I let out a deep sigh.

"Jeez Noel, you have to stop thinking about that. First we have to find him before you can even think about saving him. But before all of that…let's eat!" Makoto called over one of the waiters.

The waiter arrived and handed both me and Makoto the menu. Makoto quickly opened it and began to read it carefully. I also opened my menu and looked at the pastry section. Though nothing really interested me I decided to get the lasagna and when I looked at the drinks she decided to get myself some apple juice. Makoto on the other hand was still trying to decide what's best:

"That cheesecake looks good…but so does that carrot cake. Oh oh this one has chestnuts on it…ohh I like chestnuts." Her hyperactive mumbling wouldn't stop for another few minutes before she decided on what she'd get. When the waiter came over both of us placed our orders and then began the wait:

"So Noel, are you and Tsubaki on the same page again?" Makoto asked.

"Well…I'm not sure. She still believes Ragna is a pure evil…so I don't know how she'll react once she meets him." I answered with a hint of sadness.

"Aww come on Noellers, cheer up. It's almost like you're two girls fighting over your crush or something." Makoto said humorously.

"W-w-what?! N-no you got it all wrong Makoto. We're not in love with Ragna or anything." My face turned bright red as she justified herself.

"Yeah yeah whatever. Anyway we have the whole day free, anything else you wanna do?" Makoto asked as she looked around.

"Ummm…" I was about to decide on something when she noticed someone running into an alleyway with around a dozen people after him. Realizing that that couldn't be good I got up and ran towards the same alleyway:

"H-Hey Noel!" Makoto shouted to me as I ran past her.

I quickly reached the alleyway and leaned against the wall, I didn't want to act without assessing the situation first. I saw a young man with long blonde hair, wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of Aladdin pants backed up against a wall and surrounded by eleven people"

"Hey you there…what the hell do you think you're playing at?!" Said one of the men surrounding him.

"Hey hey let's calm down and talk this over all right guys." Said the man backed against the wall.

"Listen to me you piece of shit we know it's you who put our boss in prison, and we're going to get revenge for him you understand?!" Said another man.

"Woah woah laying on the guilt trip here. I'm gonna start to cry soon you know." The blonde guy said with a grin.

"I've had enough of you!" One of the men lunged forward with the intent to hit him. I was about to act when I saw that the man that was being attacked easily brushed off the attack and retaliated with impressive force. The rest of the thugs decided to attack him in a big group and I stepped out to stop the assault only to see all of the thugs being thrown back and the man standing with a large staff:

"Jeez…people in this town just don't listen. I really meant it when I said I was gonna cry." Said the man: "Huh, are you one of them as well?" He asked as he looked at me.

"Huh? Me? N-no not at all. I saw you being chased in here and I decided that you were in trouble so I came to help." I justified herself quickly.

"Hmm…wait a second…oh you, I know you you're Noel Vermillion right?" The man said with a wide smile as he came up and bowed before Noel.

"Eh? H-how do you know my name." I was a bit afraid now.

"Kagura never shuts up about you, it's almost like you're the only thing important to him in this world." The man said scratching his head.

"K-Kagura? You know ?" I was a bit surprised that this man knew .

"Oh right I forgot. The name's Miki Tawaguchi. And Kagura's one of my best friends, I know him since childhood." Miki said with a smile.

"O-oh well that was unexpected."

"He never mentioned me?" Miki asked with a hopeful expression.

"Ummm…not that I remember." I was unable to keep up with this persons pace of speech.

"…" Miki hung his head down and let out a deep sigh: "That damn Kagura leaves out the coolest people from his conversations…"

"Oh! I'm sorry I almost forgot I ordered something to eat. I have to go. Bye Mr. Miki." I waved and ran off.

"H-Hold on a second, let me escort you at least. That's the least I can do"

"Oh there's no need, it's just around the corner." I pointed at the café."

"Either way, you're eating alone?"

"I have Makoto with me. Oh if you're coming then I'll have to introduce you to her as well." I said with a smile.

"Makoto Nanaya?"Miki asked.

"Oh so you also know her?"

"…How can I forget…She once sent Kagura flying halfway across the city. It was a rather funny sight." Miki made a nervous laugh.

"M-Makoto did that?! B-but Makoto is kind and caring…"

"Then you haven't seen her angry…"

Me and Miki approached Makoto who was already busy eating:

"Hurf Nufel (Hey Noel)." Makoto swallowed her food: "Since you weren't here for a while I had to finish your food as well." She gave a guilty smile. Makoto then noticed Miki standing behind me and she instantly got up: "MIKI!" Makoto jumped onto Miki hugging him.

"H-hey Makoto, long time no see." Miki patted Makoto on the head.

"Where have you been?"

"Well…that's a rather long story. You know where I can find Kagura?" Miki asked.

"Oh sure we can go there right now. Come on Noel." Makoto ran off with Miki while Noel stood there not sure as to what to do:

"Ummm…Makoto you forgot to pay." I shouted to Makoto who was already gone…

* * *

Meanwhile elsewhere in Ikaruga. In the ruins of the 8th hierarchical city of wadatsumi:

"Hmm…I do wonder where I can find my dear Carl. He simply deserves the spotlight. I have heard rumors that he is around a bad crowd…can't have Carl hang around those kinds of people." I mumbled to myself as he walked through the ruins of the castle.

There wasn't much change since the last time he was here. Apart from a few more holes in the floor which were caused by Bang when he attempted to fight Jin here, the scenery of destruction still looked the same:

"What a vile view…time hasn't healed this place as people said it would." Said a voice from far away.

"Oh and who might you be?" I turned around and looked at one of the crumbled buildings. A strange small but well-built man came out from behind the building.

"My name isn't important. All that I know is that I heard you mention someone called Carl. I presume that is Carl Clover?" The man slowly approached me.

"And what sort of relation do you have with my dear Carl?" I asked with a light smile.

"It's not what sort of relation I have with him, it's what sort of relation I have with his father Relius Clover." The man said as he stood directly in front of me.

"Oh now I can't help you with the dear. I'm afraid that I don't know much about poor Carl's father…" I said as I made a sad puppy face.

"Something tells me you're lying." The man said as he clenched his fists and stared me in the eyes with strange ferocity.

"Ohh…dear. Well I'll tell you what, if you can impress me with your dance I might just tell you something about my dear Carl." I got into a battle stance and prepared to "dance".

"Very well pretty boy, just don't cry to me once I break that face of yours." The man also got into a battle stance.

"Before we begin the performance I would like to ask you your name, it is important for the dancers to know each other." I smiled mischievously.

"…My name is Naga Akashi. What is yours pretty boy?" He asked as he took off the bandages on his arms revealing scales.

"My name is Amane Nishiki. Very well, let us begin this performance." I said as I started to dance…

* * *

"So Kokonoe, to what do I owe the pleasure." I said as Kokonoe waltzed into his room.

"I have some good news Kagura." Kokonoe said as she stuck a candy into her mouth.

"Well that's a change. Usually you're the harbinger of bad news." I laughed lightly.

"I've found Ragna. He's heading towards the city." Kokonoe handed a tracking device to Kagura: "I need you and Noel to go and get him. Stupid idiot does not even know what he's getting into." Kokonoe made a scowl.

"All right all right. I get it. Where is Noel right now?" I asked as I put the device into one of his pockets.

"I called her and told her to come here. She should be here any minute now." Kokonoe looked at the clock hanging above my chair.

As if on cue Noel rushes into the office and stops abruptly to bow in front of me. Makoto and Miki failed to notice the abrupt halt that Noel came to and smacked right into her sending all three of them flying into the center of the room:

"M-Makoto…you're heavy…" Noel said from under the pile.

"Blame it on this lump of muscle here…idiot's brain is made of it as well." Makoto said groaning.

"You were the one who failed to notice that Noel stopped running idiot…Hey Kagura, how ya been?" Miki cracked a smile and waved at me.

"Well I certainly wasn't expecting you here Miki…would you uhh…mind getting off the two ladies?" I pointed underneath him.

"Huh..oh right." Miki rolled off Makoto who was underneath him.

Makoto and Noel both quickly stood up and brushed themselves off:

"Miss Kokonoe you said you wanted to see me." Noel said shyly.

"Yeah, I found Ragna and I need you and Kagura to intercept him." Kokonoe said quickly.

"R-Ragna?" Noel smiled at the news.

"Yes now go quickly…we don't have much time." Kokonoe said as she was practically kicking Noel out of the office.

"Hold on a second. Let's take Miki with us." I suggested to Noel.

"Do whatever you want Kagura, just make sure that he's here as soon as possible." Kokonoe said with her usual annoyed tone.

"Fine fine, let's go guys. It's time to catch a beast." I said as I headed out of the office…

Meanwhile behind the wall there was someone listening in on the conversation:

"Ragna the bloodedge…now I've got you." Tsubaki mumbles to herself as she heads up to her room…

* * *

_A.N. Chapter 2, and the story will be written from the eyes of different characters,in some cases it might be Noel or Makoto or Kokonoe, etc etc. Hope you enjoy. _


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